This application contains subject matter related to the U.S. Patent Application having Attorney Reference No. 243768070US entitled xe2x80x9cMETHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR VALIDATING TRANSLATED GEOMETRY, filed concurrently with this application and having a common inventor and a common assignee. This application accordingly incorporates the cited application by reference.
The present invention relates generally to translating geometric data, and more particularly, to computer-implemented methods for automatically translating geometric data, such as CAD models, from a primary file format to a secondary file format.
Today, mechanical parts and assemblies are typically designed using computer-aided design (CAD) systems. These systems enable a designer to create a three-dimensional computer model of a part or assembly that can be viewed and manipulated on a computer display. The dimensional data for the part or assembly is stored in a computer database, and if the designer so desires, the designer can create a conventional engineering drawing from the CAD model complete with the necessary dimensions, notes and annotations to manufacture the part or assembly. The designer can also provide the CAD model, via a data storage medium such as a diskette, or a data communications link such as the Internet, to secondary users for various purposes.
Large engineering enterprises and other primary users will often create a CAD model of a part or assembly and then provide it to a secondary user, such as a manufacturer, to make the part or assembly. Most manufacturers use computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines for manufacturing of this type. CNC machines are programmed to machine parts using computer-readable instructions that provide the necessary information about the part features. These instructions are typically automatically translated from the CAD model into a format needed by the manufacturer""s CNC machine.
Large engineering enterprises will also frequently enlist the support of other engineering firms to help with the design and development of new parts and assemblies. A large engineering enterprise (i.e., the primary user) will usually provide another engineering firm (i.e., the secondary user) with CAD models which define the interface requirements for the new hardware the secondary user is to design. Outsourcing such as this allows the primary user to allocate development of particular aspects of their products to specialists who can then collaborate with the primary user in arriving at the final product definition.
Regardless of whether secondary users will be using CAD models for manufacturing or for collaborative design, the CAD models should be in a format that is compatible with the secondary users"" CAD systems. However, compatibility can be problematic because of the variety of CAD systems currently available and in use today. These include the Unigraphics, AutoCAD, ProEngineer, Catia and Alibre systems, just to name a few. Most are used on conventional stand-alone desktop computing systems. The Alibre system, however, is a web-based CAD system that can be used by a number of users via the Internet.
Because of the many different CAD systems available, secondary users will often be using a CAD system that varies significantly from the one originally employed by the primary user to design the part or assembly. When this occurs, the original CAD model should be translated from the primary user""s xe2x80x9cprimaryxe2x80x9d CAD system to the secondary user""s xe2x80x9csecondaryxe2x80x9d CAD system so the secondary user can utilize the model as intended. For example, if the primary user utilized the Unigraphics CAD system to create a part or assembly model, and the secondary user is utilizing the AutoCAD system, then the CAD model should be translated from the Unigraphics format to the AutoCAD format before it is used by the secondary user.
To translate a CAD model from a primary CAD system (e.g., Unigraphics) to a secondary CAD system (e.g, AutoCAD), the CAD model may be first translated into a neutral file format. A neutral file format (e.g., STEP, IGES, DXF, etc.) is a file format which can be used to transfer geometric data between two different CAD systems. Once transferred, the CAD model in the neutral file format can be read directly into the secondary CAD system to create a CAD model in the secondary CAD system format.
FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 100 that a user, such as a primary user, can utilize for translating a CAD model from a primary file format into a secondary file format. After the CAD model has been translated into the secondary format, the primary user can record the CAD model data file onto a suitable computer-readable media, such as a magnetic tape or CD-ROM, and physically transfer the data file to a secondary user. Alternatively, the primary user can electronically transfer the data file to the secondary user via a suitable computer network, such as the Internet.
In step 102 of the method 100, the primary user manually opens a selected CAD model in the primary CAD system. xe2x80x9cOpeningxe2x80x9d the CAD model as used here means instructing the primary CAD system to access the CAD model stored in the CAD model database so that the model can be viewed by the primary user on a display. In step 104, the primary user visually inspects the displayed model geometry to verify that it is current and is, in fact, the geometry the primary user desires to translate.
After verifying the geometry, in step 106, the primary user sequences through each step of a selected translation protocol to translate from the primary file format to the neutral file format. For example, if the neutral file format is the STEP format, then the user may elect to use either the AP 203 or AP 214 translation protocols. If other neutral file formats are selected, such as IGES or DXF, then other appropriate translation protocols should be used. In step 107, the primary user sequences through each step of a selected translation protocol to translate from the neutral file format to the secondary file format. After this step is completed, the primary user will be able to visually inspect the CAD model using the secondary CAD system.
In step 108, after the model has been translated, the primary user can check the accuracy of the translation. For example, the primary user can compare translated dimensions in the secondary CAD system to original model dimensions in the primary CAD system and verify that they are within acceptable tolerance ranges. In decision step 110, if there are additional part or assembly models to be translated, the primary user repeats steps 102 through 110 as necessary until all of the desired models have been translated to the secondary CAD system. If no further models are to be translated, then the method 100 is complete.
Many primary users, such as large engineering enterprises, have CAD model databases that contain literally thousands of different parts and assemblies. In addition, such primary users will typically have a large network of secondary CAD model users in their extended supply chains. Manually translating all of the CAD models of a primary user such as this could prove to be an extremely time consuming and tedious task. Once done, the translated models would presumably still have to be manually transferred to their respective secondary users, either physically via computer-readable media or electronically via computer network. Even when implemented electronically, this transfer is still a time consuming and manual process. In light of the labor-intensive nature of translating a large quantity of CAD models from a primary CAD system to a secondary CAD system, and then transferring them to a secondary user, a more efficient and expedient method of doing so would be desirable.